I have noticed how the western boundary currents meander and shed lots of eddies.

Question

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The statement to evaluate is: 'I have noticed how the western boundary currents meander and shed lots of eddies.'

Option 1: True
- Western boundary currents, such as the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic or the Kuroshio Current in the North Pacific, are well known for their vigorous meanders. These meanders arise from instabilities and the need to transport vast amounts of heat along the western side of ocean basins.
- The same processes lead to the shedding of mesoscale eddies (circulations of roughly 100–200 km in diameter) from the main current path. This eddy shedding is a characteristic feature of strong Western Boundary Currents and contributes to lateral mixing and transport.
- From a physical standpoint, baroclinic instability and the beta effect amplify distortions in these strong, relatively narrow currents, promoting both bending (meanders) and detachment (eddy formation).
- Therefore, the observation described in the statement aligns with established oceanographic behavior of western boundary currents, making this option correct.

Option 2: False
- If one argued this were false, they would be claiming western boundary currents do not meander or shed eddies. However, extensive observations, satellite imagery, and in-situ measurements consistently show pronounced meanders and frequent eddy shedding as a hallmark of these currents.
- A misconception might be to confuse western boundary currents with more uniform, less variable flows, but that does not apply to the strong, eddy-rich dynamics of western boundary currents.
- Consequently, categorizing the statement as false would contradict well-supported physical understanding of ocean circulation in these regions.

CLMT5001 Dynamics PRACTICE QUIZ: Week 7 Lecture 4

I have noticed how the western boundary currents meander and shed lots of eddies.

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